[03/03/08 - 02:02 PM]Fast Facts for Sunday, March 2, 2008 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Program Ratings)ABC spins the numbers for Sunday, March 2.

[via press release from ABC]

Fast Facts for Sunday, March 2, 2008 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC Ranks No. 1 on Sunday in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, Claiming the
Top TV Show of the Evening on Both Counts with the Debut of "Oprah's Big Give"

ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" Moves ABC into First Place at 8pm,
With the Series' Top Viewer and Young Adult Numbers in the Hour since November

Sunday's No. 1 TV Program, "Oprah's Big Give" Towers over its Time Period
In its Debut, Standing as TV's Third-Most-Watched Series Premiere of the Season

ABC's "Here Come the Newlyweds" Opens a Dominant No. 1 on its Debut in the
10pm Hour, Leading the Slot by 2.2 Million Viewers and by 95% in Adults 18-49

Sunday Primetime (7:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC ranked No. 1 on Sunday night in Total Viewers (12.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.3/11-tied w/NASCAR-boosted Fox). The Network won each hour from 8:00-11:00 p.m. in Viewers and Adults 18-49. ABC also took first place in Adults 25-54 (5.0/12) and dominated the evening across each of the key women demographics, holding wide advantages over second-place Fox: W18-34 +30% (4.3/12 vs. 3.3/9), W18-49 +67% (5.5/14 vs. 3.3/8) and W25-54 +85% (6.3/15 vs. 3.4/8). ABC posted its top numbers in the women demos, with regular programming on the night, in 2 months � since 1/6/08.

Opposite Fox's high-rated NASCAR overrun in the 7 o'clock hour, ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" was the top non-sports program among Adults 18-49 (2.7/8).

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Building on its lead-in and moving ABC up into first place in the 8 o'clock hour, ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" beat its nearest competition (Fox) in its time period by 4.3 million viewers (14.8 million vs. 10.5 million - CBS) and by 13% in Adults 18-49 (5.1/12 vs. 4.5/11 � Fox).

� In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, "Home Edition" posted its best numbers in the hour since November � since 11/25/07 and 11/11/07, respectively.

� "Oprah's Big Give" qualifies as TV's third-most-watched series debut this season, following only Fox's "Idol"-boosted premiere of "Moment of Truth" (1/23/08) and "Terminator," which aired coming out of an ultra-high-rated NFC Playoff Game (Giants-Cowboys on 1/7/08), respectively.

"Here Come the Newlyweds" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

The debut ABC's "Here Come the Newlyweds" posted a convincing victory in the 10 o'clock hour, overshadowing its nearest competition (NBC) by 2.2 million viewers (10.3 million vs. 8.1 million) and by 95% in Adults 18-49 (4.1/11 vs. 2.1/6).

� Excluding the Academy Awards the prior week, "Here Come the Newlyweds" garnered ABC's best viewer and young adult results in the hour in 7 weeks � since 1/13/08.

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating trends based on the Live + Same Day data stream may be somewhat distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has nearly doubled from 13% at the same point in 2006, up to 23% currently. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings), 3/2/08.